News: The Indian Army will have the first regiment, using Dhanush artillery guns, in place by March 2020
Facts:
About Dhanush Artillery Guns
- Dhanush is the first indigenous long-range artillery gun.
- It has been developed by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), Kolkata and manufactured by the Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory.
- The design of Dhanush is based on the Swedish Bofors Haubits FH77 which India imported in the 1980s.
- Dhanush gun was officially inducted in Indian Army in April 2019.
Features of Dhanush:
- It has a caliber of 155mm x 45mm.
- It has a range of 36km and has demonstrated a range of 38 km with specialised ammunition.
- The gun is fitted with an inertial navigation system having global positioning system (GPS)-based gun recording and auto-laying, and an enhanced tactical computer for on-board ballistic computations.
- It also has an on-board muzzle velocity recording, an automated gun sighting system equipped with camera, thermal imaging, and laser range finder.
Additional Information:
Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)
- It is an industrial organisation, functioning under the Department of Defence Production of Ministry of Defence. It came into existence in 1979 and is headquartered in Kolkata.
- It is engaged in research, development, production, testing, marketing and logistics of a comprehensive product range in the areas of air, land and sea systems.
- OFB comprises 41 ordnance factories, 9 Training Institutes, 3 Regional Marketing Centres and 4 Regional Controller of Safety.
